Depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, actual costs, as well as standard or budgeted costs, may be appropriate to use as the cost base. Using actual costs may raise an issue because the tested party may have no incentive to carefully monitor the costs. In arrangements between independent parties, it is not rare that a cost savings objective is factored into the remuneration method. It can also happen in manufacturing arrangements between independent parties that prices are set on the basis of standard costs, and that any decrease or increase in actual costs compared to standard costs is attributed to the manufacturer. Where they reflect the arrangements that would be taken between independent parties, similar mechanisms could be taken into account in the application of the cost-based transactional net margin method. See paragraph 2.58 for a discussion of the same issue in relation to the cost plus method.
TPG2017 Chapter II paragraph 2.101
Category: B. Transactional net margin method, OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines (2017), Part III: Transactional profit method, TPG2017 Chapter II: Transfer Pricing Methods | Tag: Budgeted costs or actual costs, Cost savings objective factored into remuneration, Net Profit Indicator/Profit Level Indicator (PLI), Transactional net margin method (TNMM), Transactional profit methods, Transfer pricing methods
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- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.102The use of budgeted costs can also raise a number of concerns where large differences between actual costs and budgeted costs result. Independent parties are not likely to set prices on the basis of budgeted costs without agreeing on what factors are to...
- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.103Returns on assets (or on capital) can be an appropriate base in cases where assets (rather than costs or sales) are a better indicator of the value added by the tested party, e.g. in certain manufacturing or other asset-intensive activities and in capital-intensive...
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- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.60Company C in country D is a 100% subsidiary of company E, located in country F. In comparison with country F, wages are very low in country D. At the expense and risk of company E, television sets are assembled by company C....
- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.52Another important aspect of comparability is accounting consistency. Where the accounting practices differ in the controlled transaction and the uncontrolled transaction, appropriate adjustments should be made to the data used to ensure that the same type of costs are used in each case...
- TPG2022 Chapter II paragraph 2.57In some cases, there may be a basis for using only variable or incremental (e.g. marginal) costs, because the transactions represent a disposal of marginal production. Such a claim could be justified if the goods could not be sold at a higher price...
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Related Case Law
- Bulgaria vs Yazaki Bulgaria Ltd, January 2023, Administrative Court, Case No 22/2022Yazaki Bulgaria Ltd is active in the automotive industry and is part of the Japanese Yazaki Group. It had used the transactional net margin method (TNMM) to demonstrate that prices for the sale of products to related parties were at arm’s length. Following...
- Spain vs Ferroli España, S.L.U., May 2023, Audiencia Nacional, Case No 3400/2023 – ECLI:EN:AN:2023:3400Ferroli España, S.L.U. is a Spanish manufacturer manufacture of cookers and heaters. In FY 2010 and 2011 the company had various transactions with other companies in the Ferroli Group and reported negative profit margins on these transactions. According to the company this was...
- India vs Olympus Medical Systems India Pvt. Ltd., April 2022, Income Tax Appellate Tribunal – New Delhi, Case No 838/DEL/2021Olympus Medical Systems India is a subsidiary of Olympus Corp and engaged in the import, sale and maintenance of medical equipment in India. For FY 2012 and 2013 the company reported losses. An transfer pricing audit was initiated by the tax authorities and...
- Spain vs. Microsoft Ibérica S.R.L, February 2018, Audiencia Nacional, Case no 337/2014Microsoft Ibérica S.R.L is responsible for distribution and marketing of Microsoft products in Spain. According to an agreement concluded between Microsoft Ibérica and MIOL (Microsoft’s Irish sales and marketing hub) with effect from 1 July 2003, Microsoft Ibérica would received the largest amount...